The tent was lit from within, a warm orange glow standing out starkly against the pitch-black night. Upon hearing that Faeus had injured his shoulder, Xu Cenfeng didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the medical kit and trudged through the snow, stepping cautiously into the tent.
Once again, he set foot in this frigid northern land, feeling as though he had returned to his initial captivity. But this time, Xu Cenfeng had come voluntarily, determined to change something. So, the tent before him was just a tent—a warm shelter from the wind—with no connection to the icy prison of before.
He lifted the curtain and slipped inside, a wisp of snowflakes trailing in behind him, quickly intercepted by the hanging curtain.
At that moment, Faeus was seated behind the desk, working. He wore a white military shirt, its top buttons undone, revealing his toned and attractive chest. Engrossed in the documents displayed on the glowing screen in front of him, he mistook the footsteps for Hawke’s and without turning, coldly remarked, “Didn’t I say I don’t need bandaging? Can’t you understand? Get out!”
Xu Cenfeng paused in his tracks.
He thought to himself that this arrogant and conceited female would eventually meet his downfall, just as he remembered from before.
Ever since Xu Cenfeng returned to Earth in his past life, he had dreamed countless times of Faeus dying on a distant battlefield. It was a surprising yet strangely fitting end.
“Sigh—”
It was the sound of the cold wind blowing outside.
Finally noticing the unusual silence within the tent, Faeus lifted his head from behind the computer screen, only to find a black-haired, black-eyed male zerg, who had appeared in his tent seemingly out of nowhere. Astonishingly, it was the same one he had rescued from below the cliff earlier that day.
Faeus furrowed his brows, vaguely recalling the soldiers on duty outside. “Who let you in?” he demanded.
Xu Cenfeng, unfazed by his bad temper, placed the medical kit on the table, opened it, and skillfully retrieved medication and gauze from inside. “Deputy Leader Hawke let me in,” he replied calmly. “I’m here to dress your wound.”
In the North, strength was revered, and getting injured was hardly considered honorable. Coupled with the robust physical constitution of military females, Faeus didn’t believe his minor shoulder injury required bandaging. With impatience, he spat out two words: “Get out!”
It was “get out,” not “get lost,” so it could be considered somewhat polite.
Xu Cenfeng noticed the dried and darkened bloodstain on Faeus’ shoulder, where the wound had already stuck to the shirt. He approached Faeus with gauze and medication, always adept at gauging the other’s temperament accurately. “If we don’t tend to the wound now, you might not be able to change your clothes today,” he remarked calmly.
Upon hearing Xu Cenfeng’s words, Faeus lowered his gaze to his shoulder and indeed found the wound fused with his shirt.
Xu Cenfeng thought to himself that in the next moment, Faeus might just tear off his shirt.
“Rip—!”
Sure enough, Faeus ripped open his shirt at the shoulder, pulling off the fabric stuck to the wound. There were two puncture wounds on his left shoulder, as if bitten by some serpent-like creature. The wound had reopened, and blood began to seep out again, but it wasn’t a bright red color; it was a dark reddish-brown.
Recently, the Western and Northern regions had been collaborating to eradicate the mutant species within the forests of Solitiam. While in pursuit, Faeus had been accidentally bitten by a Crowned Red Snake. However, before he could tend to the wound, he received orders from the Zerg Emperor to rush and eliminate the interstellar pirates. By the time he had a chance to address the injury, it had worsened.
Faeus reached for the gauze from Xu Cenfeng’s hand, intending to quickly bandage the wound. However, Xu Cenfeng suddenly spoke up, warning, “The Crowned Red Snake that bit you is venomous.”
Faeus paused in his movements, narrowing his eyes without a word. “How do you know it was a Crowned Red Snake that bit me?”
He felt that Xu Cenfeng seemed to know a bit too much, unaware that these were all things he had personally told him in their past life.
Xu Cenfeng didn’t explain further. Instead, he gently took the gauze back from Faeus’ hand, offering a casual excuse, “I studied medicine before. Your wound shouldn’t be bandaged yet. If we don’t extract the snake venom, it will leave a hidden injury on your shoulder.”
Faeus’ emerald eyes were fixed on Xu Cenfeng, resembling some cold-blooded reptile. “Why should I trust you?” he asked sharply.
Of course, Faeus knew that the Crowned Red Snake was venomous. However, the robust physique of military females could easily neutralize such toxins, so Faeus didn’t pay much attention to it.
Under the lamplight, Xu Cenfeng looked at Faeus. His eyes were different from those of a male zerg—clean and gentle, like soft clouds in a sunny sky. “That Crowned Red Snake is a second-generation mutant species, with even stronger toxicity than before. Your body can’t fully neutralize this toxin.”
In their past life, Faeus had left his injury untreated, leaving a hidden wound on his shoulder. During cold weather, it would ache as if being gnawed by ants. In the North, where it was cold for three hundred and sixty-five days a year, and three hundred of those days were snowing, he had suffered a lot because of it.
As Xu Cenfeng spoke, he leaned down and dabbed a bit of blood from Faeus’ wound. The contrast between his fair fingertips and Faeus’ bronze skin was stark. He murmured softly, “Look, your blood is black.”
Faeus finally noticed something amiss with the wound, his brows unconsciously furrowing. However, he clearly wouldn’t trust Xu Cenfeng, this male zerg who appeared out of nowhere. “Get out and have Hawke send another military medic,” he ordered.
Xu Cenfeng didn’t move. “Supreme Leader, I am also a doctor,” he stated calmly.
In their past life, Xu Cenfeng had dressed countless wounds for Faeus, barely qualifying as his personal physician.
Faeus’ voice chilled slightly. “I said, bring in another zerg. Can’t you understand me?”
Xu Cenfeng looked up at him. Due to their close proximity, they could hear each other’s breaths. “Supreme Leader, are you afraid of me?” he asked softly.
Faeus doubted his ears. “What?”
Xu Cenfeng smiled. “I’m just a male zerg with no combat capabilities. Why would you be afraid to let me dress your wound?”
As Xu Cenfeng’s words fell, his chin suddenly felt a force, meeting a pair of icy green eyes. Faeus’ voice lowered, dangerous. “Are you deliberately provoking me?”
Faeus held Xu Cenfeng’s chin, observing the male zerg’s fair and delicate complexion. He figured Xu Cenfeng must come from the Western region, where males were revered. Otherwise, how could he be so audacious? Fares sneered, “Your Excellency, the consequences of provoking me are not something you can bear.”
Xu Cenfeng lowered his gaze, gripping the hand that held his chin. “I just want to help dress your wound,” he said quietly.
Like the warm sun melting glaciers, Xu Cenfeng effortlessly melted away Faeus’ sharp edges.
Xu Cenfeng gradually and gently pried open Faeus’ hand. His tone was caring and familiar, as if they should have known each other for years. The ink-black eyes reflected his figure clearly. “Don’t play games with your body,” he said softly.
Faeus remained unmoved by the provocation.
However, when the male zerg refused to admit his fear before him, he stood up, kicked aside the clutter blocking his path, and strode over to the military bed, taking a seat. By signaling Xu Cenfeng to come and dress his wound, he unwittingly fell into the other’s trap.
“Come here.”
Faeus’ voice was low and chilling, unable to conceal his wariness.
Xu Cenfeng then walked over to the bedside with the medical kit. Squatting down beside Faeus, he leaned in and began unfastening the buttons of Faeus’ military uniform one by one. Gradually, the wild and robust physique underneath was exposed, the bronze skin exceptionally alluring.
In the Western region, where males were revered, it was considered shameful for females to expose their bodies casually. However, such rules didn’t apply in the North, so Faeus cooperated.
Faeus lowered his gaze, casually studying the male zerg before him. Xu Cenfeng’s complexion was fair, his features delicate. His blood purity was likely high, and he probably hailed from a noble background.
While most noble male zerg were arrogant and disrespectful, there was not a hint of arrogance in Xu Cenfeng.
Out of the blue, Faeus asked, “Are you from the West?”
Xu Cenfeng remained noncommittal.
Taking this as confirmation, Faeus continued, “What’s your name?”
“Xu Cenfeng,” Xu Cenfeng replied.
There was no surname “Xu” among the Zerg race, so his name sounded somewhat peculiar.
Faeus’ eyebrow raised slightly, his thoughts unclear. Seeing Xu Cenfeng unbuttoning his shirt deliberately, he leaned in close to Xu Cenfeng’s ear, his lips curling as he asked, “I heard that in the West, female zergs must kneel and beg for punishment when they see their male lord. Is that true or false?”
Xu Cenfeng didn’t have such peculiar preferences. He focused on cleaning the bloodstains from Faeus’ shoulder with a cotton swab, pretending not to hear the mockery in Faeus’ words. “I’m not sure,” he replied.
Faeus countered, “Not sure?”
Xu Cenfeng nodded. “I haven’t taken a female zerg as my mate, so I’m not sure.”
Faeus’ eyes subtly narrowed at Xu Cenfeng’s words. He found them somewhat dubious. In both the West and North, once male zergs reached adulthood, they were matched with a mate under the intervention of their family or empire. With Xu Cenfeng’s attractive appearance, it was highly unlikely that he was single.
Faeus’ lips curled coldly. “Zergs who lie risk losing their tongues.”
Xu Cenfeng had finished cleaning the bloodstains from Faeus’ shoulder. Finally, he looked up at Faeus, but his response didn’t address Faeus’ remark. “Supreme Leader, how do you want to deal with the snake venom in the wound?”
Faeus didn’t quite catch the meaning behind Xu Cenfeng’s words. Hearing his question, he raised an eyebrow in surprise, wondering if Xu Cenfeng was merely a mediocre doctor. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be responsible for dealing with this kind of problem?”
Xu Cenfeng seemed to confirm something. “Are you sure?” he asked.
Faeus’ emerald eyes fixed on him intently. “If you can’t treat it, then leave.”
As soon as Faeus’ words fell, he suddenly felt a wet warmth on his shoulder. Xu Cenfeng had unexpectedly bent down and sucked out the snake venom from his wound. The sharp, stinging pain mixed with a tingling heat made Faeus stiffen, his pupils dilating in astonishment. He clearly hadn’t expected this method of treatment.
“Bang!”
Faeus immediately sprung up from the bed, pushing Xu Cenfeng away forcefully. Drawing his energy gun from his waist, he pointed the black muzzle straight at the audacious male zerg. His gaze was fierce, his rage barely contained. “Damn it! Who allowed you to do that?!”
Xu Cenfeng had anticipated Faeus’ reaction long before. He subtly stepped back, evading without leaving a trace. After all, Faeus always had such a temper. A hint of dark blood stained his lips, contrasting against his fair skin with a touch of red, like a clean ink painting touched by vermilion.
He wiped the blood from his lips with a simple motion, but somehow it appeared alluring. “Snake venom must be sucked out; there’s no other way,” he said calmly.
The Crowned Red Snake was a rare second-generation mutant species, and the military had yet to develop a serum for its venom. Faeus’ robust immune system prevented the snake venom from spreading in his bloodstream; instead, it coagulated and clogged around the wound. Thus, sucking it out was the only solution.
Faeus gritted his teeth silently at the news, his expression changing erratically.
With a taste of blood between his lips, Xu Cenfeng continued, “If you’re unwilling to let me treat you, then we’ll have to find another zerg to suck out the snake venom for you.”
Outside were mostly tough military females, capable of knocking out a bull with a single punch.
As Xu Cenfeng finished speaking, he turned to walk towards the entrance of the tent, seemingly intent on replacing himself with another military medic. However, just as he reached the tent flap, a dark and forbidding voice sounded behind him: “Stop!”
Xu Cenfeng paused, turning back to look at Faeus.
After a silence that lasted for three long seconds, Faeus finally let out a frustrated sigh and tossed his energy gun aside with a clang. Feeling reluctant and disgruntled, he uttered two words through gritted teeth, “Come here!”
As Xu Cenfeng had suspected, the military females outside were rough and not likely favored by Faeus. He disliked being touched by unfamiliar males, let alone unfamiliar females. In comparison, any zerg with a functioning brain would choose Xu Cenfeng.
At least he looked pretty and smelled nice.
Because of the heavy snow, the power supply was affected, causing the light inside the tent to dim suddenly. The orange glow barely illuminated a vague silhouette.
It was in this dimly lit environment that Xu Cenfeng managed to push Faeus onto the bed, restraining his instinct to resist. Faeus scowled and cursed aloud, “Damn it, why are we getting on the bed?”
Xu Cenfeng replied softly, “It’s easier to deal with the snake venom.”
He simply felt that Faeus would be a bit more obedient while on the bed.
In the darkness, Xu Cenfeng accurately found and kissed the wound on Faeus’ shoulder, then slowly sucked out the venom, spitting it onto a cloth in his hand.
Faeus furrowed his brow and looked down, feeling strangely unsettled but unable to articulate why. Occasionally, he would become restless and struggle for a moment, only to be gently restrained by Xu Cenfeng’s soothing grip on his wrist. “Don’t move,” Xu Cenfeng urged softly.
Xu Cenfeng hardly exerted any force to keep Faeus still. In the darkness, he inadvertently brushed against Faeus’ muscular chest, causing a barely noticeable pause.
In Zerg society, females were responsible for egg-bearing and nurturing offspring. During gestation, their breasts would automatically secrete milk until the offspring could be weaned.
Xu Cenfeng couldn’t help but recall that dream.
Faeus had once died on a distant battlefield, carrying his bloodline…
He didn’t know if the dream was real or not, but he felt that the outcome truly matched Faeus’ character, frighteningly so.
Xu Cenfeng closed his eyes, thinking that perhaps they had truly once had a cub. Unlike Faeus, whose hands were stained with blood, he had never done anything wrong in his life, yet two lives were lost because of him in the end.
Some old memories had faded into the past, existing only in Xu Cenfeng’s midnight reveries, but whenever he recalled them, a hidden pang of pain would tug at his heartstrings.
His sense of good and evil was not pure enough, so even though he had escaped back to Earth in his past life, he was still deeply tormented, like most people.
Faeus only felt a warm hand in the darkness resting on his abdomen, then slowly tightening, accompanied by an indescribable sense of pain, as if something had pricked his heartstrings as well.
Faeus narrowed his eyes warily, wondering if this male zerg was taking advantage of him. “What are you doing?”
Xu Cenfeng didn’t answer. He just made Faeus turn away from him, then, by the flickering light, he checked the color of the blood flowing from the wound and found it had finally normalized somewhat.
He lowered his gaze to kiss the wound, continuing to draw out the poisoned blood. His left hand reached around Faeus’ waist and landed on his abdomen, giving the appearance of embracing him from behind.
In a daze, Faeus seemed to catch a whiff of the pheromones emanating from Xu Cenfeng’s body. He found it difficult to describe the scent, reminiscent of a gentle fragrance like a mountain stream flowing through the warm spring day, refreshing and clean without any hint of aggression.
His mind plunged into chaos, and his eyes narrowed in contentment, allowing the male zerg to even caress his abdomen.
Damn, why is this so comfortable…
At that moment, Hawke was sitting outside with his subordinates, roasting by the fire, gossiping quietly about what scandalous affair their leader and that handsome male zerg might be having. After all, the latter had been inside for half an hour now and still hadn’t come out.
One of the soldiers lowered their voice and said, “Do we even need to ask? That male zerg is definitely… with our leader…”
Before they could finish their sentence, they made a gesture imitating intimacy, immediately eliciting a round of ambiguous laughter.
“It seems even our leader can’t resist the charm of that handsome male zerg. I thought he really didn’t like males.”
“Nonsense, our leader is almost in estrus. With that pristine male zerg, who could resist?”
Only Hawke was utterly confused, sitting by the fire with a bewildered expression. He had just let Xu Cenfeng in as a joke. After all, less than a minute later, he was kicked out by Faeus from inside, he couldn’t stand even 30 seconds, but now that male zerg had been inside for half an hour. It was just too surreal, wasn’t it?!
The sharp-eyed soldier noticed Hawke’s silence and thought he was eyeing that male zerg. He chuckled and reminded him, “Deputy Leader, there are still seven male zergs left on the starship. If you want, they’re all yours for the taking.”
Hawke suddenly asked, “How many male zergs are left on the starship?”
The soldier replied, “Seven.”
Hawke’s expression changed upon hearing this, finally realizing what was wrong. “Wasn’t the intelligence from the West saying that we lost a total of seven male zergs?! How did one suddenly appear out of nowhere?!”
With seven male zergs on the starship, plus the one in the tent with the leader, wouldn’t that make a total of eight male zergs?!
The other soldiers shrugged it off. “What’s the big deal? Maybe those interstellar pirates caught another one.”
Hawke had a nagging feeling that Xu Cenfeng looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he had seen him until he heard the term “interstellar pirates” which finally triggered his memory. He quickly accessed the data on his wrist terminal, searching through a list of wanted criminals, until he stumbled upon a wanted poster that bore a striking resemblance to Xu Cenfeng, save for differences in hair color and eye color!
“Oh no!”
Hawke slapped his forehead heavily, suddenly realizing the gravity of his mistake. He immediately got up from beside the fire and rushed towards the tent, nearly tripping in his haste.
Zerg shit! The fact that the male zerg was actually an escaped interstellar pirate struck Hawke like a bolt from the blue. He couldn’t help but wonder if the whole meeting with the leader was an attempt on his life?!
This thought sent shivers down Hawke’s spine, drenching him in cold sweat. Without even a moment to alert others, he dashed straight into Faeus’ tent, shouting in urgency, “Supreme Leader! Something’s wrong! That male zerg…”
But before he could finish his sentence, his voice trailed off abruptly, stunned into silence by the scene unfolding before his eyes.
In the fluctuating light, Faeus and Xu Cenfeng were seen embracing on the bed. The upper body of the female zerg was bare, revealing his muscular and wild physique, a stark contrast against his bronze skin was a slender and pristine hand rested at his waist.
It was glaring, dazzling, yet carried a peculiar sense of beauty.
Sensing the intrusion, Xu Cenfeng subconsciously lifted his head to look towards the door, only to find Hawke standing there, staring at them with a dumbfounded expression. He gently pulled over a blood-stained shirt from the side to cover Faeus’ exposed body, but still did not get up from the bed.
The curtain was not tightly closed, allowing the wind and snow from outside to seep in, causing a sudden drop in temperature that made people shiver involuntarily.
Faeus finally snapped out of his daze, realizing the potentially misleading position he and Xu Cenfeng were in. His body stiffened momentarily as he became aware of the situation, and he glared at Hawke with annoyance. “Who let you in? Get out!”
Hawke pointed at Xu Cenfeng, stuttering, “Lea… Leader…”
A water glass flew through the air and landed squarely at Hawke’s feet. The voice behind it was cold and menacing, “Get out!”
Hawke agilely dodged the glass and promptly “rolled” out of the tent, even thoughtfully closing the flap behind him. Once outside, he instinctively slapped himself in the face, feeling even more bewildered:
Damn it! Wasn’t he supposed to warn the leader of the danger? Why did he end up rolling out again?!
Separated by a curtain, the scene inside was completely different.
Seeing Faeus getting angry, Xu Cenfeng gently kissed his wounded back without a sound, his fingertips tracing lightly over the sensitive area of his spine. He whispered softly, “Supreme Leader, the venom has been sucked out.”
Faeus felt a tingling sensation along his spine, unable to control the shiver that ran through his body. Silently furrowing his brow, he turned to look at Xu Cenfeng, gripping his chin firmly, “What did you just do to me?”
Faeus felt utterly weak, his body devoid of strength.
Xu Cenfeng couldn’t possibly say that Faeus was feeling aroused because he was nearing his estrus period and could smell the pheromones emanating from him; that would surely anger the leader.
Xu Cenfeng: “Perhaps the residual toxins are affecting you. Let me bandage your wound.”
With that, he gently freed himself from Faeus’ grip and helped the trembling leader up from the bed. He proceeded to use the items from the medical kit to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound, his movements as skillful as if he had done it a thousand times before.
Faeus lifted his eyelid slightly. “Have you really studied medicine?”
Hawke, standing outside the tent eavesdropping, was in a state of panic, thinking, ‘Studied medicine? What does that matter? That male is an interstellar pirate! An interstellar pirate!’
Xu Cenfeng let Faeus lean against him, his movements gentle and meticulous as he bandaged the wound. Patiently, he responded, “Yes, I have studied.”
Faeus caught a whiff of the faint fragrance emanating from Xu Cenfeng, wondering if all Western males were as immaculate and gentle. He arched an eyebrow, his deep green eyes calculating something unknown, as he said with a meaningful smile, “Well, well, my esteemed male zerg, you’re so talented in many ways. I can’t bear to send you back to the West.”
Though Faeus’ tone carried a hint of pity, it was surely just a guise for his true intentions.
Xu Cenfeng glanced at him, understanding that the other party was deliberately trying to intimidate him, but he didn’t react. Faeus’ clothes were stained with blood and couldn’t be worn, so Xu Cenfeng gently removed his own coat, still warm from his body, and draped it over the injured female in his arms.
“Rest well.”
Xu Cenfeng whispered softly, then without paying heed to Faeus’ stunned expression, he picked up the medical kit and left the tent.
Outside, Hawke stood shivering, feeling the chill seeping into his bones.
As Xu Cenfeng passed by Hawke, dressed in thin clothing and carrying the medical kit, he noticed Hawke’s trembling appearance and paused briefly to explain, “I was just bandaging the leader’s wound. Don’t misunderstand.”
The heavy snowfall enveloped everything in the world without exception.
Xu Cenfeng’s ebony hair and shoulders were lightly dusted with snow, yet his eyes remained clean and bright. He seemed like he didn’t belong in this world, yet there he was.
Hawke felt like Xu Cenfeng was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He swallowed hard and pointed at Xu Cenfeng. “I warn you, you’d better stay away from our leader! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude!”
Xu Cenfeng smiled at the remark but didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted his gaze to the dark night sky, then turned and headed towards the nearby resting starship, quickly disappearing into the vast expanse of snow.
How could he ever distance himself from Faeus?
His whole life was meant for him…
Support me on ko-fi for more additional updates~ ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ
![He Lived Like You [End of the World]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HLLY.jpg "He Lived Like You [End of the World]")
